The Good Place series finale review: Take it sleazy, folks
Tonight, The Good Place brought its series finale onto NBC and with it, delivered what was quite possibly the most emotional episode of anything that that we’ve seen. Comedy or drama, it doesn’t quite like matter.
This was an episode that was all about saying goodbye — and the wide array of ways in which that happened. The story unfolded through a series of vignettes that lasted an ambiguous amount of time — mostly because there is a limitless nature to the afterlife. It bounced from one character to the next as they each figured out, in their own time, that they were ready to move forward.
Jason – This one, surprisingly, tore us up almost more than any other. The guy who was often so crazy and stuffed full of energy found peace. He’d done every crazy thing he’d ever dreamed of, including being a Jaguars hero and partying with all his friends. He had a farewell party, and right when we thought it was over, the show still came up with a fitting coda — he waited to give one final gift to Janet. In the time he waited, we saw the character meditate. He became the monk he long pretended to be.
Tahani – After spending so much of her life relying on other people, she learned how to do everything, including work with Nick Offerman! When that was over, she decided not to go off into the great unknown — but instead, she wanted to become an architect. She wanted to create and build worlds much in the way that Michael did. She found a degree of peace in trying to help others find their joy.
Chidi – This was as much about Eleanor as we did him, as he realized that it was time for him to leave but still stuck around countless eternities longer. Why? He didn’t want to leave Eleanor, and she tried to convince him to stay before realizing that if it was time, it was time. He was actually the first of the core four to depart into the afterlife, thanks mostly to Jason’s waiting.
Eleanor – For her final test, she decided to try and see if Mindy St. Clair could ultimately enter The Good Place herself through taking the test. Once that happened, she recognized that she was ready … or was she?
Michael – Right before Eleanor was ready to walk through the door, Michael tried to go through the “door” himself … but it didn’t work for him. He didn’t have a course for his own future.
Instead of getting to leave right away, Eleanor then had to figure out how to help Michael. She worked with The Judge to make him a human — and because of that, he got a chance to live a life that was real.
Eventually, Eleanor did cross over, Michael got a chance to be a human, and he also delivered the final line — “take it sleazy.” Really? That’s it, folks.
The final verdict
We don’t know if there was a better ending for The Good Place than what we had — while we got to see the show’s full take on the afterlife, there’s always something next. There’s always another mystery out there. There’s always something on the other side of the forking horizon.
What did you think about The Good Place series finale tonight?
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